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FROM GEORGIA/ Attempts to regain control of Gori meet firm Russian response By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Russia, Georgia OUTSKIRTS of GORI - The morning actually started out in an encouraging way in the occupied city of Gori in the heart of Georgia. A convoy of Georgian police cars entered the city to take part in a joint force with the Russian army to institute order in the city. The police stood for an hour alongside a small Russian force, which was blocking the entrance to the city from the road to Tbilisi. However, the attempt to create some form of cooperation between the two sides failed quickly, and the police cars left the city in a hurry. All that was left there were a Russian tank and armored personnel carrier, with about 10 soldiers commanded by a baby-faced lieutenant, who prevented journalists from entering the city. Advertisement The entrance to Gori via a side road seemed to be open, but reports that an Ossetian militia controlled the road and was robbing Western journalists using the road put that out of the question. Despite statements from Moscow that its army was not inside the city, the forces in the field made no attempts to hide their presence and army vehicles entered and left Gori. Some of the Russian officers were using new civilian jeeps they had commandeered. One Russian soldier told reporters: "We will not let the Georgian police enter the city." A tiny stream of refugees continued to leave town, carrying their belongings in plastic bags. The Georgian police, who only minutes earlier were speaking with the Russians in friendly tones at the roadblock, 10 minutes later arrived at high speed with about 30 vehicles, black jeeps and pickup trucks filled with armed Georgian soldiers, and stopped with screeching brakes in front of the roadblock. A group of officers jumped out of the first jeep and started to shout at the soldiers manning the roadblock. Sounds of guns being loaded came from the vehicles. Their intentions were clear: The Georgian army was attempting to regain control of Gori. The Russian response was immediate. Soldiers flooded out of the nearby grove and took up firing positions with weapons ready, and machine guns and anti-tank weapons were set up in positions on the nearby slope. Within a minute, five more more tanks that were waiting around the bend joined the lone tank and aimed their cannons at the Georgian convoy. The first jeeps reversed, and Georgian soldiers dismounted from the pickups with their weapons leveled at the Russians. A group of journalists trapped between the two sides fled to the trees and hunted for a small mound of earth to take cover, all the while continuing to aim their cameras. The officers were busy shouting orders as they directed their soldiers to high ground. The reporters almost instinctively started to move away from the Georgian side, thinking the Russian fire would be more dangerous, and it was better not to be on the receiving end. For a minute, the soldiers watched each other, with tense fingers on the trigger, waiting for the first shot that would start the mutual volleys. And then, with a quiet order, the Georgians folded and the entire convoy made an about-face without a single shot being fired. The Russians no longer even tried to hide the size of their forces. Three tanks stood one next to the other, blocking the road. The soldiers continued to hold their positions, but after a few minutes the atmosphere relaxed. Spirits on the Russian side were high, and the soldiers even allowed themselves to joke with the reporters and be interviewed. The atmosphere soon changed, as a gray-haired officer who said he was the deputy commander of the 42nd Mechanized Division, which had been in Chechnya only a week ago, became annoyed with all the microphones and cameras, which he certainly was not used to in Chechnya, and started to yell at the reporters and shove them. Then suddenly, an Ossetian militia man arrived at the roadblock in a jeep he had stolen the day before from a British camera crew. He got out waving the British camera and a small revolver. He shouted at the cameramen to give him their cameras and fired two shots at them. The soldiers started pushing the reporters out of the way, while pointing their guns at them. The reporters ran to their vehicles, including four Israelis from Haaretz, Channel 2 and Ynet. They got into their black Mercedes, but the local Georgian driver fled and a young soldier next to the car refused to let them start the car and drive off. Tzur Sheizaf, of Yedioth Ahronoth's online site Ynet, tried to get in the driver's seat, but the soldier fired a shot at the road next to his foot. The four Israelis fled and ran the 300 meters to the Georgian positions. The soldier entered the Mercedes and drove off into the city. About 20 minutes later, two Russian officers returned the car with all the equipment to the Georgian lines. It seems they were trying to prevent broadcasts of pictures showing Russian soldiers looting and stealing, which is happening in many places far from the cameras. The Russians continued to block the entrance to the city and mortar shells started falling near the road. The Georgians retreated again about two more kilometers back toward Tbilisi. All day, large Georgian convoys of about 2,000 soldiers with artillery and armored personnel carriers continued to leave Tbilisi and take up defensive positions around the city, without coming into contact again with the Russians. Related articles: Georgia Pres.: Russian tanks moving deeper into my country ANALYSIS / By failing to aid Georgia, Israel harming efforts against Iran nukes The devil went down to Georgia Bookmark to del.icio.us   'Material girl' turns 50 Pop icon and kabbalah enthusiast Madonna celebrates her 50th birthday. Barak vs. The Treasury Defense Minister says budget cuts foolish in light of the threats Israel facing.   1.   Georgia has to be crazy to try to 06:29  |  Che Vive 15/08/08   2.   Arm the Georgians! Defend our allies! Preserve democracy! 06:30  |  Morris Valentine 15/08/08   3.   Absolutely correct! To 2. 09:55  |  Vital 15/08/08   4.   God bless Russia! 10:15  |  Chanalau, Tova 15/08/08   5.   #2 I don`t think that`s gonna work Morris. 16:27  |  Johnboy 15/08/08   6.   # 2 morris 19:13  |  Axel 15/08/08   7.   To Axel (#6) 22:49  |  Morris Valentine 15/08/08   8.   # 8 morris 00:05  |  Axel 16/08/08

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